Cold Spell
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Five-year-old Harry Potter finds it very hot working in the Dursleys' garden, so that suddenly it begins to snow over the Dursleys' residence, and soon the Muggle area is crowded by journalists and camera teams. Completely AU, just a drabble!


**Cold Spell**

**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_A huge thanks to JB5391 for her absolute brilliant beta-ing!_

* * *

It was a very hot summer day on this Friday in early July. Five-year-old Harry Potter was working hard in the garden, while his aunt and his cousin had gone to London for the day shopping. Harry stood in the hot summer son, wiping the sweat from his face. '_It's so hot_,' he thought, feeling very thirsty. '_I wish it was a really cool day like it was when we had snow in Reception class_.'

All of a sudden, as if the angels in the sky had listened to him, it began to snow. Harry gratefully tried to catch the cool snowflakes with his dry lips, longing for something to drink. The snow felt wonderful to his hot and slightly sunburned skin, and he enjoyed himself so much, that he had to try hard to remember that he had to continue with his garden work. Torn between the urge to play in the snow and the fear of what his uncle was going to say if his chores were not done, Harry did not notice the people who gathered in front of the Dursleys' garage and front garden, observing the snow in disbelief and shock.

~ At Hogwarts ~

At the same time, Professor Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his office, having tea together with his colleagues Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape. The windows were thrown wide open to entice the fresh breeze that kept the Highlands of Scotland cooler than the rest of Britain and so Fawkes could fly about as he pleased.

"Albus," McGonagall said in a pleading voice, "Since Severus is here this summer to help us with all the paperwork, couldn't I go and check on little Harry from time to time? I am a bit worried after all that we heard from Arabella."

While the Potions Master rolled his eyes in annoyance, Dumbledore replied firmly, "Minerva, as I have told you countless times before, Harry is safe with his relatives, and since Petunia has her own child, who is only a month older than Harry, I'm sure that she is perfectly capable of looking after him and that he is very happy with the Dursleys."

McGonagall let out a sound that was indistinguishable between a soft cry of disappointment and a snort in clear disbelief, and Snape's features turned into a sneer as he opened his mouth to reply to his older colleague, just when the fireplace flared, and Arabella Figg's head appeared in the flames.

"Albus, journalists and cameramen of the magical and the Muggle world are gathered in front of the Dursleys' residence, because it is snowing only around their house," the old lady informed them in clear excitement, causing Snape's lips to stretch to an amused smile.

"Is Harry all right?" McGonagall asked in concern, and the Headmaster rose from his chair.

"I will go and check on the boy," he stated. "Thank you, Arabella, for alerting me to the problem."

"I'll go," McGonagall offered, standing as she did so.

Snape quirked an eyebrow as he queried, "Shall I go and teach the boy some manners?"

Dumbledore rolled his eyes in annoyance as he popped a lemon drop into his mouth. "The two of you are too childish for your own good. I will go." With that he stepped into the now empty fireplace and vanished in the flames. When he left Mrs. Figg's house, he noticed terrified that for once the old lady had not exaggerated. The street was crowded with several Muggle camera teams, and he could even see a well known face of a reporter from the Daily Prophet. He slowly walked through the crowd to the Dursleys' residence, where the reporters apparently had just found a little boy, who was kneeling in the snow trying to weed, in spite of the fact that the ground was covered by a thick layer of snow.

"What's your name, boy?" one of the reporters asked.

"Freak," the boy replied in a small voice, anxiously averting his eyes to the floor, while the reporters made fireworks with their flashlights.

Dumbledore sighed inwardly. '_Maybe Minerva was right as usual_,' he thought. '_It was not a good idea to place a powerful wizard like little Harry into a Muggle environment_.' He swiftly stepped forward, until he reached Harry.

"Harry," he said in a gentle voice. "Come on, let's go." To the crowd he explained, "I am his grandfather. Please excuse us." With that he led Harry around the garage into the garden and, as soon as they were out of sight, he called Fawkes, who appeared in a small flash and took them to Hogwarts within seconds.

Two days later, a snowball fight took place on the Hogwarts grounds between Professor Dumbledore, the four Heads of House, Madam Pomfrey and a very happy Harry.

**The End**


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